Update 4 - Marlene Farrugia votes with the Opposition against allocations to the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministries of Civil Liberties, Health and Energy and the environment - Independent MP Marlene Farrugia this afternoon swung her vote between the government and the opposition during Budget voting on the financial allocations for the various ministries.
Dr Farrugia voted 'wholeheartedly' with the government on the financial allocations for the Ministries of tourism, Transport and social Policy and family Affairs.
But she said that 'with a heavy heart' she was voting with the Opposition on the votes for the Ministry of Health and Energy.
She said this was in protest over the way contracts in the energy sector had not been published, showing a lack of transparency.
Furthermore, she did not know if funds allocated for health would be used for embryo freezing.
Dr Farrugia then continued to vote with the government for the other ministries.
But she voted against the votes of the Ministry for Social Dialogue saying she was doing so because of minister Helena Dalli's reaction following the recent events in Parliament (the Debono Grech incident).
She also voted with the Opposition in the voting on the Office of the Prime Minister, saying she was doing so because of issues involving state properties and interference in institutions.
Likewise, she voted against the government on the votes of the Ministry for the Environment, saying the ministry was not doing enough to safeguard the sector.
Dr Farrugia also voted with the Opposition on the Appropriations Bill.
Giovanna Debono, the other independent MP, voted with the Opposition. The result was 35 government votes in favour and 28 against.
Although the Budget debate was concluded on October 29, voting was put off to today because the Budget needed to be given the go-ahead by the European Commission before it could be approved by the national parliament.
The procedure was made necessary because the Budget was presented early this year in view of the EU-Africa summit and CHOGM, which disrupted the parliamentary programme in November.
In previous years the Budget was approved by the EU before being debated in parliament.
The European Commission scrutinises the draft budgets of all euro zone countries in terms of a regulation enacted in the wake of the financial crisis as a way to strengthen the surveillance and coordination of economic policy.